It seems the older I get, the harder it is to move full sheets of material around by myself. Of course, it doesn’t
help that some types of material like 3/4" medium-density fiberboard weigh in at almost 100 lbs. per sheet. So to make it easier to transport sheet stock, I made a simple two-wheeled cart (Photo, left).

The cart consists of a pair of 2×4 sides with a spacer sandwiched between to form an opening that holds the sheet (Illustration, below). You’ll want to make the spacer about 1″ thick, so you can lower a 3/4″ sheet down into the opening without any trouble. It also helps to rout a chamfer on the upper inside edge of each side.

To make the cart mobile, I purchased a pair of 10″ wheels at the hardware store. There are smaller ones available, but these large wheels are easier to roll over uneven floors. The wheels are connected by an axle made from a 5/8″ steel rod. Large fender washers prevent the wheels from binding against the sides. And cotter pins hold the wheels on the axle.

Have a nice weekend,

Wyatt Myers
Online Editor
Workbench Magazine

Few problems around the house can be more frustrating than wood chairs that are loose and wobbly at the joints. Usually all they need is more glue, but figuring out how to get that glue into the mortises without pulling the tenons out can be a real head-scratcher. Plus, doing this will break another glue joint, or worse yet, part of the chair.

	A good solution is this high-pressure glue injector from Woodworker’s Supply (Woodworker.com). It’s solidly built and has O-ring seals that let it develop tremendous pressure (Photo, left).
A tapered brass tip seals the injector against a hole drilled into the leg mortise. Pushing the plunger forces glue under high pressure into gaps in the joint.	To use the injector, just drill a 1/16″ hole through the chair leg and into the mortise in an inconspicuous spot (Illustration, left). Then inject glue until it starts to ooze out. Finally, wipe off the squeeze-out, and clamp the joint.

Have a nice weekend,

Wyatt Myers
Online Editor
Workbench Magazine

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better way to put boxes or other types of cabinets together than with a biscuit joint. All you do is cut mating holes in two pieces with a biscuit joiner, insert the biscuit and glue, and put the parts together.

Here are three tips that will make things even easier the next time you use biscuits.

	1. To lay out the locations of the biscuit slots, butt the mating panels together and mark centerlines across the joint.
	2. To cut slots on the edge of a panel, just align the biscuit joiner’s centerline with the layout line, and cut slots centered on the thickness of the panel.
	3. You can also use this same fence setting to cut slots in the face of a panel. A scrap board clamped to the edge of the panel will keep the joiner from tipping.

Have a nice weekend,
Wyatt Myers
Online Editor
Workbench Magazine

There’s nothing more annoying when working in the garage than a flickering fluorescent light bulb. But in reality, all lights “flicker” because of the way alternating current (AC) electricity works. In simple terms, the light turns on and off 120 times per second as the current alternates.

Flicker isn’t visible in incandescent bulbs. But fluorescent fixtures with magnetic ballasts (common in older models) can flicker noticeably if the tubes or ballast are very old, or if the fixtures don’t receive adequate voltage. This could cause a “strobe” effect that makes a saw blade appear to stand still, but it’s very unlikely.

Fixtures with electronic ballasts don’t flicker noticeably. They operate at a higher frequency, so the flicker rate is too fast to be noticeable. Plus, electronic ballasts are quiet and work well at low temperatures.

Use fluorescent fixtures that have electronic ballasts and accept newer “T8” tubes rather than older “T12” versions. The T8s are more efficient and show colors more accurately than most T12s.

Have a nice weekend,
Wyatt Myers
Online Editor
Workbench Magazine